Some counterfeits have been reported to contain horse and human urine, human and rodent waste, arsenic, lead, talc, staph, and other bacteria. They have been reported to cause serious skin issues such as boils, cellulitis, pustules, and more. Sounds really unhealthy right? Well, that's just some of the ingredients they use to make counterfeit makeup. Beauty blogger Tanya Arguelles purchased a popular eyeshadow from a Los Angeles street market and tested the fake and real to see if it was worth the buy. She then woke up with her eyes burning and itchy with uncomfortable pain. Counterfeit cosmetics often contain arsenic, beryllium, and cadmium (all known carcinogens) and with high levels of aluminum and dangerous levels of bacteria. Some of these products have caused acne, psoriasis, rashes and eye infections just like Tanya’s.
Counterfeit Mac lipstick was also tested and it ended up having 15 times the amount of lead than the real version. Lead can cause long-term health problems, as well as miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women. Another common ingredient in counterfeit makeup is mercury, mercury can cause health issues like headaches, lack of coordination, vision impairment, mood swings, and insomnia. Some people think counterfeiters list all the ingredients so buyers should be able to know if the ingredients are dangerous or not. However, the packaging is so similar to the real one that it lists the same ingredients and doesn’t tell consumers that there is dangerous things in it.
Most counterfeit makeup is extremely unsanitary too. Factories, where counterfeit makeup is produced, aren't clean or sanitized which could end up causing serious health problems. “If I could paint a picture of what it’s like in one of these (counterfeit factories in China)... If you took the most disgusting frat house bathroom, it looks like a surgical suite compared to these conditions. It’s filthy, there are bacteria everywhere… it’s disgusting.”-Greg Marrazzo, the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel of Estee Lauder Companies.
Most Buyers don’t know background information about most of these online stores or street markets either which makes it even worse when they buy from the companies. Many think counterfeit makeup is sold on safe and well-known websites. But online businesses such as Amazon, Wish, eBay, and Alibaba, use algorithms that will place products with the most and best reviews at the top of the search. So when searching “pink eyeshadow” on Amazon, the top results will be the highest ranked among customers. So counterfeiters will pay for services that provide fake reviews to higher them to the top spots. Some victims who have bought fake cosmetics online discovered their personal information was used to set up hundreds of illegal websites selling counterfeit products so even if buyers use this site for all of their shopping it can still be dangerous. Fake/phony makeup products are usually at mall kiosks, swap meets, and street vendors. A popular one is LA’s Santee Alley, but more than 80% of the sales are happening in cyberspace.
Do you think counterfeit makeup should be illegal in the U.S. because people don’t know how some of it is made, and the makeup could cause major health issues? Women and girls are pressured to buy high-quality expensive make-up that they can’t afford. They have the right to feel safe when they buy less expensive make-up products. People must ask themselves if using counterfeit makeup is worth the risk to their health.
Do you think counterfeit makeup should be illegal?
How can women safely purchase makeup without the worry of it being counterfeit?
What can we do to help stop the manufacturing of counterfeit makeup?
Replies
Great topic choice(+5) and well written summary as well. Be sure to reply back on three different days next time.
I think that unless it's the real thing it should not be sold or promoted to word the public. People could buy makeup safer if they did not buy it at cheap convenience stores. Yo prevent it being made you would probably have to find out who makes it and report them
I believe that counterfeit makeup should be banned for fthe mere reason that it hurts the people who wear it. Although the dupes of popular makeup brands are cheaper and therefore more poeple, esspecially teens, are more likely to buy it, over time the makeup that wear will affect us in the long run.
I think counterfeit makeup should be banned and I see it as a health concern. Makeup goes on areas that are already sensitive and it could be harmful if any toxic chemicals are applied to these areas. If women want to be absolutely positive that they are not buying counterfeit makeup then they should only buy from big retail stores like Ulta or Sephora.
I think absolutely there should be a ban on fake counterfeit makeup. Makeup is something that should be created with health solely in mind, because it is going directly on your face and things that could get easily infected like your eyes, and your pores. Not only should counterfeit makeup be illegal, all fake duped beauty supplies should be banned.
I don't think that counterfeit makeup should be illegal. Although it is gross, as long as they are honest on their labels, and say what is actually in it and people still choose to buy it that's their fault. They could safely purchase makeup without it being counterfeit if all of the labels on makeup were honest and said what is truly in the makeup. We could pass a law for every brand to say everything that is really in the makeup to reduce the problems.
I agree, it would be a lot better if they put on a label what is truly in the makeup. But a lot of the counterfeit producers just copy the real makeup's label so they don't get in trouble, so a lot of people don't know whats actually in it when they purchase the makeup.
I think that they should make counterfeit makeup illegal because women should be able to safely purchase makeup without having to worry if its going to be harmful. People should try to go through more trusted stores like sephora or ulta..
I agree, a lot of women go for the cheaper option because they don't want to spend a lot of money on beauty products. And it's sad because there are a lot of uneducated women that don't know much about makeup products so when they see something cheap, they don't think twice about purchasing it because they don't expect there to be harmful ingredients.
I think that counterfeit makeup should be illegal because using harmful chemicals on your face can cause you to want to use more makeup and harm your skin even worse. I am not sure how to safely purchase makeup without buying name brand items that you know the ingreadients are safe for your skin.
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